I am intending on teaching in Taiwan and need to submit my arrival date. Is the information below correct? Is there some of you who are taxed at a different rate than others? For those presently earning in Taiwan, i would highly appreciate your comments.

If you cannot come before July 2nd, please be aware of the tax laws of the ROC. A.R.C holders who are not in Taiwan for more than 183 days of a calendar year who earn a monthly salary equal to or more than NT$26,820 will be taxed at 18%. These teachers will not be eligible for a refund.

A.R.C holders who are not in Taiwan for more than 183 days of a calendar year who earn a monthly salary equal to or less than NT$26,820 will be taxed at 6%. These teachers will not be eligible for a refund.

A.R.C. holders who are in Taiwan for at least 183 days of a calendar year will be taxed at 5%, regardless of their income.

Nope, your last sentence isn't correct, but I don't have time to go pull up the actual details. Does anyone else have time to do that?

Off the top of my head, it's 18% withholding rate for the first 183 calendar days, of which you get some back if you are here for longer than 183 days.

The regular witholding rate for a teacher's salary is 13%...if employers declare your tax legally...if they declare you as getting paid the same as a Taiwanese office worker then your witholding rate is 6%.

OP should take a look through the first couple of pages here. There are about 4 tax related threads in the first 2 pages alone.

For the record; I am taxed at approximately 9% for the first 6 months and then nothing - so over the course of a whole year I am paying approximately 4.5% tax - most of which I will get back next year when I file my tax return.

The standard rate for English teachers is 18% for the first six months (Jan - June) and 6% for the last six months (July - December). If you are present in Taiwan for 183+ days, then you can get 12% of that tax that you paid for the first six months back from the government when you file your taxes the next year.

This is the standard rate: Some people may get taxed at different rates depending on your school, but above are the standard tax rates that are based on government regulations.

I've been in Taiwan since 2007 (4 years not 5 - my mistake) and this is my 4th school. My choice not theirs. I'm not working here because I particularly love teaching kids, have debts to pay back home or am in a relationship with a Taiwanese girl. I'm here because it allows me the chance to save a substantial portion of what I make for travel. By the end of a one year contract I'm usually ready for an extended vacation and Taiwan is a great place to be based if you want to visit other Asian destinations.

Whenever I am ready to return to teaching I negotiate a contract with a new school and simply mention the fact that I would prefer not to pay the full 18% tax. I ask if 'anything can be done about it?'. Usually - surprise, surprise - there can...

My attitude is; if you don't ask you don't get and if a simple question makes my paycheque fatter then I'm definitely not averse to asking.

Speaking of newbies coming to Taiwan, I knew a guy last year who paid no tax whatsoever on his income of $60K a month. Taiwan was his first ever teaching gig and it was part of his employment 'deal'. The two newbies who replaced my wife and I at our last school paid approximately $1600 tax on incomes of $68K a month. But if you want to believe that your information is 'more accurate and useful' - knock yourself out... I'm simply stating the realities of my experiences here, I'm not going to argue with you about whose info is more 'accurate'.

Whenever I am ready to return to teaching I negotiate a contract with a new school and simply mention the fact that I would prefer not to pay the full 18% tax. I ask if 'anything can be done about it?'. Usually - surprise, surprise - there can...

My attitude is; if you don't ask you don't get and if a simple question makes my paycheque fatter then I'm definitely not averse to asking.

Forgive me for resurrecting old thread, but how do you get away with that?

Whenever I am ready to return to teaching I negotiate a contract with a new school and simply mention the fact that I would prefer not to pay the full 18% tax. I ask if 'anything can be done about it?'. Usually - surprise, surprise - there can...

My attitude is; if you don't ask you don't get and if a simple question makes my paycheque fatter then I'm definitely not averse to asking.

Forgive me for resurrecting old thread, but how do you get away with that?

Taiwan gov must be a lot looser than U.S. gov.

I don't get away with anything - the school accountant does the books and makes the tax declaration to the Govt. All I do is ask a simple question and they they write out a statement of income that declares I am working less hours than I am actually working for less money than I am actually making...My tax rate is based on that #